“Taliban commander Mullah Rahmatullah was among those killed in the air raids,” the statement said.

However, the Taliban outfit in contact with the media, without confirming the airstrikes, claimed that the militants had repulsed government forces offensives in several fronts in Helmand province.

Fierce fighting continues between the Taliban and government forces in Helmand province over the past couple of months as the militant outfit has been attempting to overrun provincial capital Lashkar Gah to destabilise the neighbouring Kandahar, Zabul and Uruzgan provinces.